


To Prove Their Worth

by justleveledup



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen, damian gets jealous easily, platonic bro dates, shut up dick don't encourage him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-26 03:34:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4988617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justleveledup/pseuds/justleveledup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damian isn't going to let his brothers date anyone he doesn't approve of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Prove Their Worth

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this: http://batfamily-apologies.tumblr.com/post/128193802104/submitted-by-anonymous 
> 
> Damian is too cute.

Tim can feel it, deep in his bones: the last of his patience running thin. “For the last time, Damian,” he says, straightening up and putting his hands on his hips so he looks more serious (Damian doesn’t look at all impressed, but Tim can still try), “it’s not a date. I’m not dating Kon. Friends – _and I mean it we are just friends_ – go to see movies together all the time.”

Damian makes his body language mirror what Tim is doing, and Tim _knows_ deep in his heart that Damian is mocking his imposing nature (or lack thereof), but—really, the kid looks ridiculous. And not at all intimidating. “Is he picking you up, Drake?”

Alright, so, fine, they had decided carpooling would be best. But seriously, Kon didn’t really have a working car and it wasn’t like he could just _fly_ them there (hello secret identities), because Tim was supposed to be going as Tim and Kon would be Connor, both just normal kids doing normal kid things like going to the movies—with their _completely platonic_ best bro friend. “Technically, I’m the one driving.”

Damian rolls his eyes, the shit, like he has life all figured out at the ripe old age of eleven. “It’s a date.”

“It’s not—!” Tim doesn’t sputter, he really doesn’t, and he catches Dick’s arm as he passes by. “Dick, tell him it’s not a date!”

Dick, who is actually the worst big brother ever, ruffles his hair and says, “Have fun, kiddo. If Superboy tries anything you’re not comfortable with, activate your distress signal and I’ll have Damian come kick his ass.” And then he winks. Fucking _winks_ and—

“ _It’s not a date!”_ Tim cries, turning his back on his (stupid, immature) family and throwing his hands in the air. He’s not a dramatic person, but seriously, how does one even deal with brothers who are this annoying without going crazy?

He almost runs into Jason – literally – when the other comes out of the kitchen, box of leftover takeout in one hand and a beer in the other. “You’re going on a date with Superclone?” Jason asks, and the loser has the gall to look surprised, like he thinks it’s an _actual_ date that Tim is _actually_ going on.

“Whatever,” Tim says, almost knocking Jason’s stupid food out of his hand as he pushes past him, takes the stairs two at a time so he can leave Dick and Jason’s obnoxious (stupid brothers) laughter on the floor below him.

_Friends are allowed to see movies with each other,_ he reminds himself as he changes into something nicer, because – he’s not gonna go out in public in something he’s been sweating in all day. Timothy Wayne has public appearances to keep, after all.

* * *

 

He texts Kon telling him to text back when he arrives, _don’t ring the doorbell please_ he says more than once just so he’s sure Kon will understand, because he’s not insecure about this, really, he just—all of them, Dick and Damian and Jason, they’re all in the living room watching something on TV, and they’ll hear, surely, if Kon comes to the door, and he doesn’t trust them not to act like shits, not one bit.

_k,_ is what Kon texts back, and shortly after, _here_

So far so good, at least Kon is good at listening. Tim debates just running down the stairs and out the door as fast as he can and hope that whatever they’re watching will keep their attention but… he _knows_ them, really, much too well, and so he slips through his window like a fucking teenager sneaking out after midnight to – not go on a date, and so what if he’s a teenager, none of the others are his parents, he can do what he wants! And if he wants the challenge of scaling the manor in civvies while Kon stands underneath on the ground, confused and worried (“why didn’t you take the front door? are you not telling anyone where you’re going?” “no, now shush.” “do you need me to catch you?” “ _no!”_ ), then he can do just that!

He lands on his feet, safe and secure, and says in a voice just above a whisper, “Let’s take the long way around so we can avoid the living room window.”

“But _why?_ ” Kon asks, even more confused because Tim refuses to answer his questions.

“Just—later, I’ll tell you later, when we’re in the car!”

“Alright,” Kon says, eyeing him like he’s a weirdo. Whatever. Kon doesn’t have stupid brothers, he doesn’t _understand._

They make it to the garage, and out of the garage, and out of the manor’s driveway without raising any alarms, and really, _this_ should have been the warning, but Tim is always a fan of having his cake and eating it too (what’s the point of having cake if you can’t eat it?) and ignores the feeling in his gut that this isn’t over, they aren’t safe, even when they’re in line to get popcorn at the theatre.

“Lemme go wash my hands, you fine with waiting in line?” he asks Kon, and Kon nods, already knows what he wants since they do this every other weekend and Tim always gets the same thing. When he comes back from the washroom, Kon has their popcorn, but he’s… standing with… oh no.

“—it will be over quickly, there is a huge field just behind the theatre so you can have some privacy for your humiliating defeat.”

“Damian, what—what are you—what?”

“Eloquent as always, Drake.”

“Why are you _here?_ ”

“Father may let you get away with this when he’s around, but when he’s _not_ , I won’t. If this _kid_ wants to woo you, he has to go through me first.”

Kon has dropped confusion for amusement, and thankfully doesn’t point out that Damian is this kid in this situation, remaining silent.

“Damian, we’re not on a date.”

“Not yet, you aren’t. Not until he fights me to prove himself.”

“ _Oh my god,_ ” Tim says, hands on his face as he fights the rising blush. “How did you even get here?”

On cue, a hand lands on his shoulder, and Dick’s stupid smiling face appears beside him a second later. “Someone’s gotta protect your honour, Timmy, I’m just here for the show.”

“Please,” Tim says, _prays_ really, to anyone who will listen. “Please, give me a new family.”

“Ha! Timmy, Timbo, don’t pretend you don’t love this. It’s amazing! Damian wants to _fight someone_ for your honour. It’s so _cute_!”

“It’s not cute, Grayson,” Damian says, and this is the only time Tim thinks they will ever agree. “It’s necessary. He can’t be part of the family if he’s not worthy.”

“Um, I just wanted to see the movie,” Kon says.

“Mm, yeah, okay. Damian, movie first. Fight to the death after,” Dick says around a mouthful of popcorn. “Movie tickets are _expensive_ , and this is the last Fast and the Furious movie with Paul Walker!” He drapes an arm over Damian’s shoulders (he shrugs Dick off easily and mutters darkly) and his other over Kon’s (he goes back to looking confused but lets Dick lead him anyways), and Tim wonders as he follows just how this became his life, and didn’t he do enough good for the community to qualify for some better luck?

* * *

 

The movie ends, and Tim has almost forgotten the… _problem_ of Damian’s presence – almost, because Damian doesn’t _let_ him. As soon as the movie is over Damian immediately begins to rip it apart, talking about how improbable some scenes were, how most were _impossible_ , and really, what kind of idiot likes these movies? Dick doesn’t look offended, but he’s actually pretty close to it, and says, “I do.”

Damian scoffs. “You would.”

“I dunno,” Kon says, obviously trying to pacify either of them before an actual fight over _a movie_ starts. “I think you just have to suspend your disbelief for movies. You know, that’s what they’re there for, to live vicariously through them and all that.”

Damian looks at him like he’s grown two extra heads, and opens his mouth to say something – something probably offensive – but Dick stops him with a hand over his mouth. “Damian, c’mon, it’s just a movie, lighten up a little.”

And really, Dick should know better. Damian? _Lighten up?_ Please.

Damian shifts his attention from Kon to Tim. “Your taste in partners is impeccable, Drake.”

“So I don’t get your stamp of approval?” Kon asks, like he’s enjoying this.

“No. And since I have been told that fighting in public spaces could lead to police interference,” ( _don’t say I don’t look out for you Timmy,_ Dick says) “I request you come to the house at your earliest convenience.”

“For our death fight.”

“Yes.”

“I love my life,” Dick says, wiping a fake tear from his eye.

“Alright,” Kon says, like this is somehow a _normal request_ being made from Tim’s _completely normal little brother_. Which it isn’t. He isn’t. And Dick is so unhelpful, encouraging this kind of behaviour. He’s supposed to be guiding Damian to being more like an actual kid, not… not _this._ Whatever this is.

They make it to their cars without much more weirdness (comparatively; Damian is always weird), and he doesn’t spare many thoughts to the fact that Dick had managed to park right beside them ( _how_ ), but… he’s self-conscious now, about every single thing he does, and Dick giving him a look that he can’t quite read isn’t helping with this.

“I’ll be home in a bit,” is what Tim says, “just gonna drop Kon off back at the Tower.”

“Sure thing, Timmy,” Dick says, and Damian rolls his eyes, getting into the passenger seat of Dick’s car and slamming the door louder than necessary.

Tim drives Kon home in mostly silence because he doesn’t know what to say that’s not going to be an apology for his strange family, and he also doesn’t really want to apologize for his strange family, so he lets Kon make random comments about the movie (it was okay) and the upcoming Teen Titans mission (Tim’s not looking forward to going offworld) and it’s nice, that Tim can just be quiet sometimes and Kon doesn’t ever think there’s something wrong.

“Thanks for putting up with my brothers,” he says in lieu of an apology when they make it back to the Tower, “they can be intense.”

“It was cool. The little one seems fun.”

“Ha, yeah. Imagine dealing with that _every day_.”

“He’s just giving you practice for leading the team, clearly,” Kon says with a smile, and Tim has to agree. If he can put up with Damian, he can handle anything.

“Hey,” Tim says after a moment passes, and Kon still hasn’t made a move to get out of the car. “This wasn’t a date right?”

Kon looks confused, one eyebrow raised. “No? We watch movies all the time together, why would this one be any different? I mean, no offense, bro—”

“No, no I’m not offended, I was just—Damian said something earlier and it just… I don’t know.”

Kon laughs. _Laughs._ Right in his face. “Is that what tonight was about?”

“Kinda. He’s just so stubborn and he doesn’t _get_ things but he still likes to make everyone hear his opinion on matters anyways.”

“Looks like that runs in the family.” Kon’s grin is still huge, and _no_ , Tim is nothing like Damian, and Damian was _wrong_ —

“I think you just overthink things too much,” Kon finishes, patting his shoulder. “I’ll see you next week, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Tim agrees, waits for Kon to fly off to the top of the Tower (he hates taking the elevator) before driving off.

He doesn’t go straight home. He drives around for a few hours, never straying very far from Gotham, enjoying the silence and the darkness and stopping, once, at the side of a dirt road to appreciate the stars. Nights like this, when he doesn’t have to be on patrol with the grime of the city, and when he doesn’t have to pretend to be a model student, studying and stressing, these are the nights he loves the most.

He gets back home somewhere around two and finds Jason still up, watching cartoons and looking like he’s half asleep. Tim sits down next to him, plucks the beer from his hand before he dumps it all over himself or, more importantly, _the couch_.

“Damian says he thinks you can do better than Superclone,” Jason says. “And that he’s looking forward to their fight.”

Tim smiles, finishes Jason’s beer and says, “So am I.”


End file.
